FKNA!!

I swear like a sailor. This is well known. In the last 24 hours, though, I've been a particularly prolific fuck-sayer. Here are three reasons:

1. EFFING PAGO!! There's a new restaurant and wine bar at 9th+9th -- yes, I said a wine bar at 9th+9th -- and it's fantastic. PAGO. Go there. The food is great, the people are great, and the prices are reasonable (for now...). I joked with the chef that "if you guys started doing brunch I would need a cot in the back." Heh heh. He looked at me sideways and muttered "we start brunch in two weeks."

2. MY EFFING LEFT FOOT hurts like hell. Somewhere along the way on the volcano trip I picked up an ailment in my left foot. It's not the blisters -- they're healing well -- this is something deeper, more structural. My latter three toes were a little tingly when I woke up this morning. After an ill-advised search of The Internets I am stressing that I have developed a Morton's Neuroma. I'm going to try to go for a loooong run today. We'll see how it goes.

3. AN EFFING LEAD PIPE connects my house to the City water line. The sprinkler crew let us in on that little secrect this morning. Lead?! WTF? Did I buy house in ancient Rome? I've already ordered a lead test kit for my tap water. The results of the test may explain my sneaking suspicion that I am getting dumber.

Lassen = Success.

On Monday, Dr. Z and I skied Lassen. Like Shasta, it was an unmitigated success. About 6 hours car to car, climbed 4500', skied 4000'. We spent some time stumbling through pumice looking for the road -- in our ski boots -- and it just didn't matter. Lassen is fantastic. It's an Intermountain-style volcano if there is such a thing. Drive there, bootpack up 4000' of corn-ish snow, rip down, drink a Limonata. Perfect.

I'll get pics up this evening, if I don't get too tipsy at the official opening of Pago.

Today I'm trying to keep my wits about me as I re-engage at The Firm, re-worry about The Steeplechase, and catch up on The Usual.

Done and done.

We did it. Skied the Hotlum-Wintun Ridge on Mt. Shasta from the summit. 24 hours car to car, 8500' of climbing, 7500' of skiing, and then a thousand vertical of bumbling around in the woods trying to find my truck.

More details and pictures to follow. I need a nap.

And here. . . we. . . go. . .

Everything is packed. Map and summit permit secured. Time to begin the slog.

I will update tomorrow evening. With luck, it will be a glorious recount of a fine descent. No matter what, it will be a tale of a sports adventure.

It's time to get up close and personal...

You'd think I'd be better at this...

This is not the first time that I have dealt with the crush of trying to get the hell out of town. You'd think I would remember that EVERYTHING takes twice as long as I expect -- assignments at work, gear prep -- everything. But I always forget, and the crush always arrives.

And then there's the giant question mark looming at the end of "how will my legs hold up to 7000' of climbing?" This is probably the strongest I have ever been -- sure, I've been lighter and faster on the bike before, but it came at a cost -- and still there's that little seed of doubt. Am I ready for this? We'll find out at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday when I start booting up this:

The triangular "ridge" right of the center rock band is the Hotlum-Wintun.

If all goes well, come Monday we'll make a run at Lassen Peak. From what I can discern from online trip reports and The Internets, Lassen is a very Wasatch-like tour: rise early, climb directly up, rip down, drink beer. Perfect.

And then there's Mount McLoughlin. Can we squeeze it in? Perhaps...

Boring "training" update:

Saturday:

Assemble planter boxes. Shovel lots of topsoil. Assemble sprinkler system. Try to remove sod from front lawn. Fail.

Sunday:

Mountain bike up Dry Creek, to the top of Bobsled, back down Dry Creek, and over to the Zoo. Get a sunburn.

Monday:

Run up Memory Grove, onto the Shoreline, to the top of I-Street, and then reverse it.

40ish minutes, as hard as I could maintain.

EUREKA!! I need to spend the next couple of weeks -- the last couple before The Steeplechase -- training the downhill run. First, it's A LOT more fun. Second -- and I should've clued in to this before now -- half the frickin' course is downhill. I don't care if I limp to the top of Black Mountain; I want to finish the descent strong.

When I return from NoCal, downhill intervals are the name of the game.

Just like a toddler...

If it's possible to lose your temper while working out, I did it this morning. I'm not saying that it was a full blown tantrum . . . just that I may have thrown the bar down in frustration. And then kicked it. While swearing at the top of my lungs.

WOD: Nancy

5 rounds for time

400m run

15 overhead squats @ 95lbs

32:10 (junkshow)

I've got the anger. Now I need the superhuman strength to match. And the green skin. Definitely need the green skin.

What are the chances?

As we all know, the url of this epic tome is:
http://upperlevelgumby.blogspot.com/
So, say you accidentally transpose the 's' and the 'p' -- what could possibly go wrong?. Well, you'll find yourself here:
http://upperlevelgumby.blogpsot.com/

A bible study site that uses "upper level gumby" in its url? WTF?! Hey, I'm all for bible study, and I obviously endorse the concept of the upper level gumby, but mixing the two . . . I don't know. It's kind of like eating a can of tuna with a layer of strawberry jam on top.

Wait, I actually do that. Never mind...

Boring "training" update:
Tuesday's WOD:
It was supposed to be a long run, but by the time I got to the top of Memory Grove, I realized that I'd left my tiger* in the truck. So I did another three laps up Memory Grove -- walk/jog back to the start -- as hard as I could muster without exploding. My legs hurt, so I think it worked.

Wednesday:
Legs and back were smoked. Slept in, ate lots, played with power tools in the back yard.

Today's WOD:
21 wall ball
21 deadlifts @ 175lbs
800m run
15 wall ball
15 deadlifts @ 175lbs
800m run
9 wall ball
9 deadlifts @ 175lbs
800m run
23:15
Then
Muscle ups: 1, 1, 1 PR
3 rounds of (10 pullups, 5 ring dips)